Call Me, Darling
by malecyday
Summary: Alec Lightwood is a focused high schooler, future planned for him and no plans for coming out of the closet he has hid in for years. That is until he meets the dazzling Magnus Bane at a Halloween party, and his life takes new and refreshing turns. But is it for the better, in the end?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there, this is my first fanfic and I've chosen to make it an Malec AU. It's a long one-shot that's going to probably be two chapters, unless anyone wants it continued...if anyone actually reads it, that is. In which case I'll try doing a whole high school story. Anyway, enjoy chiquitas!**

 **Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare owns all these lovely characters, but I can take credit for the setting and such! Huzzah!**

Alec Lightwood hated Halloween. That was all he could think about while he sat on the couch in the corner of a stranger's living room, observing the party raging on around him. Why was this an annual celebration? It just gave girls an excuse to dress in more revealing clothing, for guys to feign confidence, and the opportunity for free drinks without police involvement.

He sighed. What agitated him about these facts was that although he tried to blend in with the background till the day he graduated, he was part of this group. At least, to any onlooker he was. Here he was, dressed in a black and white striped shirt and one of Max's black hero masks, Zorro probably.

He glanced around with the laziness of a guard dog for the source of his current misery. They stood at separate ends of the small living room, Isabelle on the far right of him and Jace on the left. She had gone out tonight as a demon, dressed in a tight black dress, fishnet tights, studded leather boots, and her signature snake bracelet. She said it warded off the good guys. Pirates and vampires and jocks dressed as jocks surrounded her. He smiled to himself. She definitely had them whipped.

Jace had gone as "that wolf guy from Twilight". When he had gone downstairs to meet Alec and Izzy for the party and said this, both had rolled their eyes, knowing it was just an excuse to walk around a party full of desperate girls shirtless. He did pull it off well, though, and Alec noticed the many eyes followed both him and Izzy around the party-goers.

A sudden glimmer at the corner of his eye distracted him from his guard duties and caught his attention. A cop walked in. Well not a _real_ cop, it was a boy from school he hoped, but not just any boy; a tall, mysteriously handsome, I-don't-give-a-shit-what-anyone-thinks boy. "Wow," was the word that popped into Alec's head.

The boy wore deep blue pants that sparkled when they caught the light, along with a bedazzled golden belt and black shirt reading "Frisk you?" His dark hair shimmered like his pants and had blue highlights that matched his outfit well and made Alec a little uncomfortable where he sat out in the open. The smile on his face was effortless and had a hint of a predatory intentions on it. He strolled through the crowd, greeting many people, including Isabelle, on his way to nowhere in particular while he swung his police hat around his hand.

The boys gaze finally landed on Alec, making direct eye contact for what felt to Alec him like five whole minutes. The cop boy's smile grew when the shy boy on the couch quickly looked away, a blush forming on his pale cheeks after only two seconds of eye contact. Alec tried to distract himself by playing with the hem of his shirt and staring at his black boots. The irony of a policeman making you feel uncomfortable, he thought, looking up again.

The handsome stranger was not where he had been a second ago, and Alec's disappointment felt like a weight inside of him. He tried looking around the room discreetly for the sparkling man when there was a slow but evident dip in the couch beside him. Just like when Church creeps into my room and jumps on my lap while I'm reading, the blushing boy thought absently. The blue-eyed burglar turned his head to find himself looking directly into the golden-green eyes of the cop.


	2. Chapter 2

**I felt compelled to continue writing this instead of doing my Greek myth essay. Oops. Enjoy!**

"Looking for someone?" sparkle boy asked, grinning.

"Wh-me? Uhm, no...you? Looking for someone?" Alec blushed furiously, mentally congratulating himself on the word vomit exiting his mouth. Sparkles laughed lightly and Alec found that it was a lovely sound, one he'd like to hear more often. Maybe word vomit is the way to go, he pondered.

"Nope. I just came over here to let you know I'm off duty, so don't worry." He winked.

"Oh, right," he offered a small smile. "Nice costume."

"Thank you. I'm loving that whole traditional robber thing you've got going on. Really offsets this whole dark and mysterious vibe I'm getting." He replied. "So I know I've never seen you around before, I'd remember blue eyes like those. As you can see it's one of my favourite colours," He gestured to himself with his hands. "So who are you?"

"Oh, umm...I'm uh Alec. I go to IHS...Idris High School, that is. 12th grade. Graduating this year."

"Well, _Alec,_ " he purred. "that explains it. I'm in my first year of college at the New York Institute. Magnus, by the way." A hot college boy sitting here talking to me? And that name. Magnus. A name as beautifully unusual as the boy looked. Alec mentally shook himself, gaining his composure.

"Well hi Magnus. What are you studying?"

He struck a pose as best he could while sitting on a couch, gesturing at himself again. "Fashion!"

As he said this there was a thump and then a cold wet feeling all down Alec's back as someone tripped behind them, now two empty cup of beer in hand. The guy, who was dressed as a hobbit, fixed his glasses and apologized quickly, glaring at a fiery red head who was laughing at him. Alec looked back to Magnus who was now standing up in front of him.

"C'mon, there's got to be a bathroom somewhere in this house." He took him by the hand and led him through one of the hallways. They spotted a bathroom through an open door and entered it, closing the door behind them. Alec all of a sudden felt flustered.

"Gimme your shirt." Said Magnus.

"Wh-wha-why do you…what?" He stammered. Alec felt his face get even hotter and wondered what it would take to reach his blushing extent. Of course, the fact he couldn't tear his eyes from Magnus' didn't help his case. Oh god, he thought, it had been going so well. Magnus burst out laughing, hand over his stomach, looking as if he were about to fall down.

"I-I just want to..." more fits of laughter before he exhaled loudly. "I just want to dry it, although I've got to say; I'd love to see what's under there."

The feeling of humiliation also brought a need to be daring. "Isn't public nudity an offense?"

Magnus gave a short chuckle."Pfft. Off duty, remember? Plus, would _you_ say we're in public?" He smirked at him and stepped closer so that their bodies were inches away.

"N-nope." He fell silent when he caught Magnus staring at his lips. He licked them unconsciously. Their eyes caught each other again before they simultaneously leaned closer, all the while Alec's mind screamed "what are you doing?!", till their lips brushed together lightly. Alec had a single thought before getting completely lost in his first kiss.

Maybe Halloween isn't so bad.

 **So there it is, hope you liked it. Review if you would like me to develop this into a longer high school AU type of thing, or if you're perfectly fine with it ending here. Thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Nice reviews have made me motivated to continue this story, so thanks ma peeps (especially NamidaKira for giving me an idea to actually continue the story with). I've never done this before though, so have patience with my updates, they might not be very frequent. But I hope whoever reads and sticks with it enjoys!**

There was a sudden knock on the bathroom door, making Alec jump away from the other boy, a blush rising in his cheeks.

"Cold you hurry up in there, some of us have to take a dump out here." The voice on the other side of the door said. Magnus chuckled lightly.

"There's a bathroom upstairs!" he replied, dragging Alec closer by the front of his shirt. They heard a groan and heavy footsteps leading away, which made Magnus smile at the blue-eyed boy in front of him and capture him in another kiss. Alec still felt on edge, and cut the kiss short with a gasp.

"Magnus, I-I want to stay but…I…my siblings." He sighed at his eloquence, pulling away a little. "Designated driver duties."

"So responsible, I should've known. Alright, well, call me? I'd love to continue. Perhaps in a…different setting." He winked, Alec blushed, a pattern Alec found occurred a lot around this boy. Magnus looked around in the drawers of the bathroom for something and pulled out a small black pencil. _Why is there a pencil in the bathroom?_ He thought absently. Magnus pulled at his arm and rolled up the sleeve, writing a series of numbers down, then he drew a small heart net to his signed name. Alec blushed and pulled back, saying a quick goodbye before walking out the bathroom door, bumping straight into his sister.

"Hey Alec, having fun?" She smiled maniacally, like she held the world's biggest secret. In Alec's eyes she did.

"Wh-Isabelle, what are you doing? We're going, come on." _It seems the world has made its goal to see how many times I could blush in one night._ He grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her down the hall.

"Who's number is that?" Alec heard Isabelle say behind him. He frowned and pulled the sleeve down quickly. He spotted Jace near the door talking to the fiery red head, looking fairly frustrated.

"Come on Jace, we're going." He grabbed him by the arm with his other hand and pulled them through the door into the rainy night, all silent till they got in the car. Jace sat in the passenger seat next to Alec, Izyy stretched out in the back.

"That girl didn't like my costume." He huffed, arms folded over his arms.

"Her friend loved mine." Izzy smiled. Alec rolled his eyes at both of them and started the car. As they drove past the house, he saw a familiar figure on the porch give a small wave and he smiled a little, but soon it flickered into a frown as soon as Jace and Izzy started talking again.

They got back way earlier than initially planned, their parents weren't even home yet. They all went straight to their rooms to wait for the Chinese food they ordered. Izzy offered to cook, but most encounters with any food like substance treated by Izzy usually didn't go down well with the consumer. Izzy didn't seem too upset anyway, they all seemed too disappointed with events of the night to really fight about anything.

Alec fell onto his bed sighing, thinking about the beautiful cop from the party, and if it was all just some sort of dream. It definitely didn't feel real when he went through the events in his head. Most details in dreams he had when he slept usually faded by now, just the basic ideas there, but he could remember every detail of his encounter with Magnus. He just had his first kiss wen he was expecting to grow up having never had one. He had been flirted with, when no one ever noticed him. It couldn't be real. He smiled at the ceiling just thinking about the strangeness of it all. While thinking about whether he should pinch himself or not, he remembered the number written on his arm and quickly rolled up his sleeve.

Alec gasped as he saw the numbers, smudged beyond recognition. "Shit, fuck, no!" He heard Izzy scream that the food was there so he quickly got dressed into more comfortable clothes and hoped she'd know what to do.

He stepped into the kitchen to see Jace and Izzy sitting on the table, talking about that girl at the party and her friend again, trying to analyze them. Jace never got rejected, after all.

"She said Halloween was about effort! That not wearing a shirt and saying it was from a movie wasn't creative! I didn't even know what she was." He grumbled.

"I think she was a wizard from that magic movie…" she trailed off when she saw Alec. "Hey Alec, we're just talking about Jace's inability to pick up girls with actual brains in their heads. Care to join us?" He shook his head and came to stand in front of her.

"What kind of pencil smudges?" he gestured to his bare arm irritably.

Izzy giggled and shook her head slowly. "Eye liner, retard." She took his arm and squinted, trying to make out some of the numbers. "We can try guessing the numbers if you want." She suggested. He nodded. Some of the numbers were recognizable, maybe they would guess correctly.

"Meet someone at the party?" Jace nudged him, making Alec frown.

"He sure did. And he was more successful than you for once." Izzy said. Jace glared at her.

She turned back to Alec. He took out his phone and they went through each number carefully. He called the number and waited hopefully.

"WHO DARES DIST-" Alec hung up before the not-Magnus voice could finish. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Maybe it was too good to be true.

 **Hope you liked it! I hope to update soon; I have a few ideas I might get going with straight away. Review and I'll probably go faster! I also love getting feedback, so make my day** **J** **Byeee**


	4. Chapter 4

**Howdy! Apologies to anyone who is interested in this story with my lack of dedication to posting chapters. I hate being busy, reading other fanfics sooths me so I haven't found the time between school and reading. Just warning that updates wont be constant but I'm so happy people actually read and like this story. Anyways, enjoy!**

The next few days were unsurprisingly uneventful, and honestly Alec didn't know why he expected anything else. Maybe the fact that something interesting had actually happened in his life for once, instead of in the lives of fictional TV and movie characters or of people he knew, made him hopeful. But the longer he went without calling Magnus the more he tried persuading himself that the boy wouldn't even notice, that it was just a one-time thing. Those sorts of things happened all the time, right?

Izzy seemed more outwardly disappointed for him than he was, he preferred his suffering to be internal. She kept giving him these looks that would make him think about it even more, which caused more frustration on his part. He was trying to get past it and move on. _It happened, it's over._ The need for it to happen again, he supposed, would never completely go away, the need to see those eyes he'd been thinking about was overpowering. Yet, the longer the week progressed without those captivating eyes the more he believed he had imagined the whole thing. That, at least he thought, would be more realistic.

He walked out of school Wednesday afternoon, five days after the party, lost in thought; making the routine walk to his car where he'd wait for Izzy and Jace. His mind was focused on memorizing facts for his history test the next day when he bumped into someone right where his car would be. He looked up to see the glittering purple back of a tall, black haired man. _Magnus?_ His mind echoed doubtfully.

Sure enough, the man turned around and there Magnus was in all his dazzling glory. Izzy stood there in front of him, leaning coolly against the car. As she made eye contact with her alarmed brother, she smirked and pushed off the car.

"I'm going to go find Jace." She walked past Magnus, muttering something under her breath, then made her way back towards the school, patting her brother's shoulder as a silent good luck. Magnus looked down at Alec with a kind look on his beautiful face.

"You didn't call me, hun." He tisked. Thoughts were going through Alec's head at a million miles per hour, like _how is he here? Did he actually wait for me to call? Is this a joke? A dare?_ As if the multiple questions in his head weren't enough, Alec couldn't help but visibly check Magnus out. Throughout the whole party fiasco, he hadn't really had a chance to really consider how out of his league this college guy was. Finally, after focusing back on Magnus' grinning face, a sort of combination of all the questions left his mouth.

"Magnus! How…w-why, did you..?" He felt like he'd just gotten off a roller-coaster, brain fuzzy, his heart beating loudly in his ears. Magnus just smiled knowingly.

"I remembered you saying you went to this school, and I was kind of doubtful that the eye liner would stay on your arm long enough to call me, so I took initiative!" He clapped his hands together. "Now I'm here hoping our encounter wasn't completely one sided and that this doesn't come off as really creepy." Alec was dumbstruck, he hadn't thought to go looking for him, he'd just given up and hoped for another chance encounter. The new knowledge that this beautiful boy liked him enough to feel the need to see him again made his stomach twist. He just smiled while staring at Magnus' feet.

"No! I just…I don't know, sorry I didn't call. The number rubbed off." He continued awkwardly fiddling with his sweater sleeves, but looked up into the man's eyes and found he couldn't tear his eyes away from the challenge in his eyes. He knew no one was watching, but he felt eyes on him and worried that the man in front of him would try continuing events from the party.

"Its fine, darling. That's what I thought had happened. Anyway, it's not like I didn't think you liked me," He winked, the purple glitter on his eyelids catching the sunlight. Alec thought back to the memorable party events, Magnus' smooth lips. He shivered.

"Care to take a walk?" He caught Alec's eyes nervously glance towards the direction Izzy had gone, then nodded firmly.

"Yeah, okay."

They walked out of the school grounds side by side in silence, both interpreting the quiet in their own ways. Alec's unsure mind whirled with questions he could ask to fill the silence, while Magnus found it pleasant, lost in thought that calmed him from his usual every day worries. Finally, Magnus broke the silence, sensing the unease of the other boy.

"So I came by today for two reasons." Alec let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "To confirm my theory as to why you didn't call me, and; of course, to ask you out." Alec stopped in his tracks and looked at Magnus with wide eyes, making the man smile.

"What? Why would…" He shook his head in frustration. "I'm just a high school kid. Why me?"

Magnus took a second to study him, both of them just standing there on the street, facing each other in silence. Suddenly Alec felt a new confidence overcome him that came with his limited experience with relationships. What he did know was something he learned from the many time he had to be there for Isabelle after bad break ups: quiet often guys were just in it for the looks. He straightened up, holding his head higher.

"If this is just some sort of experiment to you, a plan to make someone jealous or something, I'm not interested." He sort of felt stupid as soon as he said it, but kept a straight face and maintained eye contact. It seemed to work, as Magnus' faint smile changed into a look of seriousness to match Alec's.

"If that's what you're worried about, stop. Its not _just_ how captivating you look that interests me, although that is a bonus. You interest me, and…" he sighed. "From the short time we have spent together, you make me feel something I haven't really felt before." Magnus tore his eyes away from the blue that had slowly been enveloping him. He hated feeling so exposed so early in a relationship, one that may not even turn into anything, but he couldn't ignore the pang in his chest telling him it was the right thing to do. There was a short silence.

"Okay. Where? When?" Magnus looked back at Alec, who was watching him intensely and expectantly. Magnus was confused for a second before remembering his initial question. He suddenly felt a wave of relief and jitters. This boy he'd been thinking about for the better pat of a week had just agreed to go out with him; he couldn't help the grin that spread over his face.

Alec smiled back nervously, feeling as if he finally understood the term 'butterflies in the stomach'. All this hope and anticipation was new to him and he didn't know if he should bottle it up like he did with every other feeling or let it out, like his heart was telling him to do. Magnus spoke into the silence.

"Ill pick you up after school on Friday."

 **Felt like I should get all the serious stuff out of there to make room for the fluff and eventual angst of course, though I am making this up as I go along so PREPARE YOURSELVES…or not, haha I dunno. But yay! Date scene to come! Also, sorry if the change in thought perspectives kind of shift randomly, if that bothers anyone, sorry, it just kinda happens. I'll try update soon.**


	5. Chapter 5

**So I changed the name of the fic, for anyone who might be confused. Was Malec Halloween AU, now Call Me, Darling. Anyway, this first part gives some filler info. Sorry my chapters are so short; I'm trying to make them longer. Enjoy, grasshoppers!**

Alec had never felt so nervous in his life (and over something so petty as a date). He could only think of one thing that had ever come close: last year's end of school dance. That had been because for once he had felt confident enough to ask a guy he knew liked him to the dance and ditched the whole thing before they could be seen together because of his stupid nerves. He winced at the thought. It had been a while, and he still felt awful about the whole incident, but he had been terrified of putting a toe outside of the closet and had talked to the guy afterwards, saying he wasn't ready for that kind of public exclamation. Thankfully, he understood, telling Alec to call if he changed his mind.

Alec had gotten a little more at ease with his sexuality since then, having talked about it with Isabelle and Jace. What still worried him, however, was how others would react, especially his parents. Which was what concerned him about Magnus. Now, because of this nice beautiful person that had walked into his life all of a sudden, his mind wasn't full of doubts like it usually was, but asking _why not risk it all? Who cares?_

And Alec found himself struggling to come up with an answer. He sighed, falling back on his bed that had half his wardrobe spread over it. He had planned on just wearing his standard black jeans and one of his many faded black sweaters, but Isabelle; being the family's fashion guru, had advised that he wear something a bit nicer for his first real date with a hot college guy. He couldn't really argue with that.

He heard a knock on his door. _Speak of the devil._ Izzy poked her head through the doorway, saw him, and grinned. In response he turned over, buried his face in his bed and groaned in frustration.

"I've never seen you like this before. I love it!" She clapped her hands excitedly.

"I hate it." He mumbled. He questioned his words though. In his short experience of dating, he had never felt the way he did now, and it made him frustrated because he didn't even know _what_ he felt. Alec didn't like variety. He liked knowing how he felt and acting on it in a way that he could go unnoticed, a way that made everyone happy.

He sat up to see Izzy rifling around his closet, her face stuck in a look of disgust as she examined each article of clothing. "Is everything you own old and black?" she said, all five fingers waving at him through separate holes in one of his many sweaters. He thought about it and nodded. He hadn't gone shopping in quite some time, not that he thought he needed to.

"You said this guy is majoring in fashion…do you have anything a bit more Vogue?" he rolled his eyes but got up and shuffled to his closet.

"I probably have something you bought for me for my birthday or something." He shoveled around the back until he pulled out his nicest black skinny jeans (they didn't have any rips in them) and a midnight blue button up shirt he had received from Izzy last Christmas. Izzy assessed the clothes and gave a nod, grabbing them out of his hands. She placed them on a chair next to the closet and together they sat down on the corner of his bed.

"Are you excited?" she asked kindly.

"Yes. No. I don't know." He paused before answering again. "I just don't know what to expect. This feels so weird. So…new?"

"Well I'm excited for you. From what I gathered from our conversation after school, he seems nice and exactly what you need. Don't screw this up."

He laughed. "Gee, thanks. Good to know where your loyalties lie." She punched him lightly on the arm, laughing before looking at him firmly. "Seriously though, I just want you to be happy Alec." He held his hands up in mock defense, yet couldn't help but feel that maybe she was right, maybe now was finally his time for happiness – relationship wise, anyway. Izzy and Jace were always able to make him feel happy.

"What were you guys even talking about before I got there anyway?" he asked.

"Oh nothing." She grinned. "Just his make-up techniques…and his intentions with you." She said, waving her hands around nonchalantly at the last part. He looked at her darkly, not expecting any less.

"And?"

"He says its all in the wrist…" he glared at her. "Oh, nothing but good intentions, my good brother." She smiled, looking at her phone. "It's late. Goodnight Alec, sweet dreams." She hugged him then walked out of the room, closing the door behind her; leaving a nervous, excited teenage boy to his thoughts.

.

The day went by slowly for Alec, and he found his mind wandering a lot, thoughts of what Magnus had planned and interesting conversation topics. He didn't really know what to expect, so that's what occupied his mind for the majority of the day, dreading the end of the day but also eager for it. When the final bell did ring he found himself groaning when his Econ teacher, Mr. Starkweather, continued as if he couldn't hear, giving the whole "the bell doesn't dismiss you, I do" speech after seeing all the frustrated faces.

He eventually did get out, five minutes after the bell, and speed walked to the parking lot. Magnus' looming figure by the school entrance made him feel pleasant jitters yet gave him the urge to run the other way at the same time. _He hasn't seen you yet,_ his mind reasoned, _you could still ditch._ For once he felt like arguing with that familiar voice. As he made his way closer to Magnus, he caught his attention and smiled at him softly.

"There you are! Let me guess…you have Mr. Starkweather?" said Magnus, making no effort to hide checking out Alec and smiling.

"Ugh, yeah; for Econ, keeps us in as long as he can. Sorry about that. Did you have him when you were here?" His lack of sweater gave him nothing to fiddle with, so he just folded his arms as they made their way to wherever Magnus was taking them.

"Yes I did; he was a bit of a bore I must say. Fell asleep more than a few times, but that might also be because Econ wasn't really my thing."

"Yeah, mine neither." They fell into a pleasant silence while they walked down the streets of Brooklyn, and Alec wondered what it would feel like to be holding the other boy's hand before Magnus interrupted the silence.

"This may come off as strange, but do you like cats?"

Alec looked at him confusedly. "Uh, yes, I have one. Why?"

Magnus grinned before stopping abruptly next to a door with a cat's head on it. Its yellow eyes had white coffee cups on them and underneath read 'Kat's Café'. Magnus held the door open for Alec, joy written on his face as the confused boy stepped into the Café.

"This is one of my favourite places to go after particularly stressful days," he said. Alec took in the warm, comfortable place in front of him. It was dimly lit, the only light coming from small fake candles on each small dark wooden table; the fading light outside adding to the comforting mood of the whole place. There were books Colourful, patterned cushions covered most of the surfaces and on them sat many different types of cats, Alec counted five just lounging around next to a few other customers. He only realized he was smiling when Magnus lightly brushed his hand with his. He turned to find him smiling as well, obviously happy that Alec felt comfortable here and relieved that he hadn't jumped from his touch or something.

They were greeted by a red head behind the counter who Alec felt he recognized. "Magnus! Thank God, its been such a slow day. Who's this?" she smiled at them.

"Hey Clary! This is Alec, we'll be in the corner over there, talking innocently for a while," Alec felt himself blush as he saw Clary's smile widen. "I'll have my usual please and…"

"Black coffee please. And," he looked at the food behind the glass counter before choosing a brownie. He'd had a small lunch at school a couple hours ago but he hadn't brought much money. Magnus, taking advantage of the relative privacy and relaxed feeling Alec got from the place, grabbed his hand and led him to a table at the far corner. Two of the four chairs were inhabited by twin black cats with blue eyes. Since they had taken half the chairs, Alec and Magnus sat across from each other.

"These guys are my favourite," said Magnus, stroking the one next to him. "This one's Violet and that ones Coffee."

"As I mentioned before, I have a cat. Though, if you started petting Church like that he'd probably claw your eyes out." Magnus laughed loudly, making Alec smile at the lovely way it sounded.

"Oh I don't know about that. My kitty Chairman Meow was once a vicious thing," Alec chuckled at the name. "but he warmed up to me, I believe myself to be a bit of a cat whisperer now." They laughed together as Clary arrived with their orders in hand. His black coffee was in a white cup with painted whiskers, and Magnus' order had a cat's face decorated on top of the coffee with foam and cream next to a red velvet muffin. Alec felt so happy to know this place existed; he hadn't done much exploring where he lived, mostly just take out places around his house. He had forgotten the charm of cafés.

"Maybe you should pursue your cat whispering skills instead of fashion," Alec said.

"That's the dream." He laughed. "No, but I've always loved fashion, I took all the art classes I could in high school. No other topics ever really interested me. What about you, what do you want to do after you graduate?"

Alec had to think for a moment. Although he was in his last year of school, he had never really asked himself what he _wanted_ to do, he did know what his parents wanted him to do.

"I think I'd like to be a teacher. Not for high school kids or anything, maybe college students. But…" he paused. Magnus was looking at him expectantly, with something in his eyes Alec wasn't familiar with yet felt like he should trust.

"But my parents have this business they want me to inherit since I'm the oldest and don't have any particular plans for my future…that they know about, at least…" he said, trailing off into a mumble.

"Do you want to run their business though?" he asked. Alec wasn't used to being asked what he wanted, even really from his siblings, he always wanted what was best for them and didn't expect anything in return, kind of going with what they were doing. Magnus' consideration touched him, he found himself smiling saying "No, not really."

.

They spent the rest of the time there talking, getting to know each other, and laughing; buying and sharing food since they were both close to starving. They had been there for two hours before they felt the need to leave, Magnus paying for both of their orders (after much arguing, Magnus won saying it was he who had asked Alec out in the first place so it should be he who paid).

As they walked out they held hands and Alec didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable, which made him think about how much he wanted more than just hand-holding, and hoping that Magnus felt the same. They talked some more, walking down countless streets together then hailing a taxi after agreeing that it was getting late.

The taxi got to Magnus' loft first, and when Magnus turned to him to say goodbye, Alec looked him in the eyes and leaned forward, bringing their lips together for the second time since they'd met. He felt Magnus smile into it before parting Alec's lips, deepening the kiss and bringing his hands up to pull at Alec's hair gently. Alec couldn't even find it in himself to worry about how inexperienced he was and how sloppy he must seem to this beautiful, clearly skilled boy. They both pulled away as the cab driver coughed loudly, reminding Magnus that he had to pay for the ride.

"We should do this again," he smiled. "Give me your phone." He paid, holding out his hand to Alec, who gave his phone to him obediently, his thoughts taken away while waiting by how amazing this evening had been. He didn't want to go home, knowing Izzy would be waiting for him ready with a million questions, when all he wanted was to go to his room and recount this perfect day in his head over and over. Or continue living in this evening.

Magnus returned his phone and pecked Alec quickly on the lips, saying two words as he got out.

"Call me."

 **WOOH! First date DONE! At 3 AM, I might add. This one is longer than the others, so hope you liked it! Review if you did and if you have any hopes for what happens in the future. School starts again Monday but I'll try update soon. Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Howdy, I'm trying to post every weekend from now on, so yay! This is a complete filler chapter full of emotions and thought and whatever, sorry! And don't worry about all this fluffy happiness, the angst is coming! *evil laugh* Also: perspectives change half way through, if that confuses anyone.**

Surprisingly, Alec got all the way to his bedroom door before he got ambushed by Izzy in the hallway. She was accompanied by Max, looking completely unfazed by the 70-pound child on her back, walking around with the kid for god knows how long in her nine inch heels.

"Alec! Out late I see," she smirked. "And judging by that blinding smile, I'm guessing it went well with Magnus?" he responded with an eye roll, but couldn't seem to completely get rid of the smile that came with the memories of the day.

"Who's Magnus?" Max asked curiously. Alec looked at him with wide eyes, like a deer caught in the headlights while Izzy took the liberty of responding for him. "A sexy college guy who _like likes_ Alec." Max giggled delightedly.

"Iz!" he said, looking between them both.

"What, lying is bad! Right Max?" he nodded vigorously, fixing his glasses and while trying to hold back his giggles.

"Can I meet him Alec? He has the same name as a character in my manga!"

"What? I don't know." He looked over at Izzy for help, but instead received a smug smile. "I'll ask…?" Alec would be the first to admit he didn't know much about relationships, but wasn't introducing to the family one of the bigger steps? Was Magnus even the type to be in such relationships? He barely knew him.

He shook his head. He was making the relationship (could he call it that?) more complicated than it was. He tended to do that: to over think things half of the time, never living in the moment, but planning ahead so nothing could go wrong. And that was rarely for his benefit. Magnus made those worries go away when he was with him, but once he was alone he knew his own thoughts would consume him anyway. Right now though, the day had gone well and he knew Magnus had had a good time too, and that was all he needed to know right then.

Jace then made an appearance in the already crowded hall, poking his head through his bedroom door across from Alec's room. "What's with all the noise? I'm trying to concentrate in here."

"Alec's got a boyfriend!" Max said as Izzy shrieked in excitement, eager to share.

"Boyfriend? Another one Izzy, really?" came an approaching voice from down the hallway. Alec automatically recognized the voice as his mothers and unconsciously straightened up, turning around to look at her cautiously. Maryse Lightwood was scary to most, being a powerful business woman in charge of her own company with her husband Robert Lightwood, but to the Lightwood children she and Robert were just strict, absent parents who they occasionally had dinner with to discuss how their business was going and their kids' futures. To Alec, they were a little more than that, they were indifferent obstacles he knew he had to overcome to be happy but kept avoiding.

Although his siblings knew that he was gay and wouldn't exactly deny it to others when asked, he was not yet out to his parents, something he had been putting off because he had never felt that they would approve and had had no real reason to tell them. Magnus was beginning to feel like a reason, Alec worried. He heard Izzy speak up from behind him and turned back to her to see her slowly putting Max down.

"Hey mom, how was your trip?" This close, Alec could hear the slight strain in her voice and mentally scolded himself. Izzy embraced who she was and was judged by the people who were supposed to love her most, yet here he was fearing for himself when his sister needed his support.

"Hello Isabelle. Jace, Alec. Anyone hungry? It's been a while since we've had dinner as a family," Alec was quite thankful of that fact, whenever their family had dinner together, it always ended in unintentional wounds, unspoken arguments, and pent-up emotions. He had had too good of a night to allow that to happen and Izzy looked like she had been having a good day as well but now all of a sudden looked exhausted. He spoke for them all.

"Not tonight, mom. It's late, and we had dinner earlier." Izzy gave him a quick, thankful look.

"Alright, well; tomorrow then. We have a lot to talk about." She said and walked back the way she came. That last part gave Alec a sudden pang of anxiety. What did they have to talk about? He felt Izzy's hand on his shoulder and snapped back to reality, turning to face her.

"Thanks, Alec." She sighed.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure if I was up for that tonight." Said Jace.

"I actually am pretty tired, but don't think I'm not going to get every detail of your date out of you tomorrow!" Alec groaned and opened his door, more than ready to go through the day's events in his head until he fell asleep. Izzy took Max by the hand and led him down the hallway, saying goodnight to her brothers.

"I love you guys." She added.

"Goodnight, Iz." They said back. As soon as he stepped in his room he closed his door and flopped down on to his bed with a giddy smile. As he thought about the last part of their date(?), he took out his phone, remembering the unspoken promise he had made.

.

Magnus arrived at his apartment after the amazing date with the wonderful blue-eyed boy, a jittery feeling making him want to break out into song and/or dance. He hadn't had a genuinely _nice_ date like that in a very long time, at least not since high school, and felt the need to tell someone about it; to brag.

He lay down on his coach and thought about who he should call. Catarina? No, she would ask millions of questions of intentions and feelings. Ragnor? He wouldn't even pick up the phone unless he knew Magnus had a reason for calling. Raphael? God no, he a) wouldn't care and b) would just make cynical comments. He needed a listener.

Suddenly, a small fuzz ball jumped onto his chest, purring softly. "Chairman! You'll listen to me, wont you?" Magnus exclaimed, picking up the cat and holding him close to his face. Chairman Meow looked unamused and was probably just hungry, but Magnus thought of the cat as his main confidant ever since he had adopted him from Kat's Café a year ago.

He retold the day's events, adding comments about how cute Alec had been when he got flustered by his flirtatious remarks and how he had been uncharacteristically nervous before but it was all for nothing, since they'd both had a great time. He finished it with a detailed retelling of their kiss.

"He isn't very experienced but I'll fix that." He told the cat, who purred in response. Finally, he finished with his hope that the boy would call at some point but, of course, he wouldn't be waiting on it or anything. He'd been in a lot of relationships, some…less great than others, but this felt different, and he didn't know why. He was normally cool about these sorts of things, not too excited to see anyone but his friend or cat, not liking to feel too exposed to too many people. Alec brought with him a sense of trust that Magnus felt pulled towards, and right now he didn't want to question the new things he was feeling.

A vibration in his pocket startled him back to the present and he looked down at his phone to see a series of unfamiliar numbers on the screen. He smiled as he answered.

"Hello?" he purred.

"Uh, hi Magnus. It's me…uhm, Alec, that is." Magnus could _hear_ the blush in the other boy's voice and smiled delightedly.

"I figured. Thanks for calling this time." He heard a shaky laugh on the other line.

"Yeah, well, I wanted to thank you for the lovely day, that café was…"

"Magnificent? Fabulous? _Purr_ fect?" he heard a scoff at the terrible joke and Magnus stretched out over more of the couch, stroking Chairman softly and feeling pleased with himself.

"Yes, exactly." He paused. "And I was hoping we could…do it again sometime?" The uncertainty in his voice made Magnus' chest pang.

"I would love to." He heard a quite sigh on the other end.

"Great. Call me…or text me, I guess, when you feel like it…" said Alec, shyly.

"How about tomorrow?" Magnus asked enthusiastically. "I'm not doing anything all day."

"O-okay. That sounds good."

They decided where and when to meet the next day and Magnus tried getting information as to where they would be going and what they'd be doing, but Alec kept changing the subject. They chatted for a little while, sometimes just pausing and listening to each other breath when there was nothing to be said, until Magnus heard Alec give a tired yawn. He sighed happily and looked at the time on his phone. 12:04. He guessed they must have been talking for more than a little while.

"Time to sleep, Alexander." He said, interrupting their peaceful silence. "Tomorrows another day."

"Okay." They paused again. Magnus interrupted it with a final thought that was eager to come out.

"I want you to know how much I want to kiss you right now." Alec laughed.

"Tomorrows another day. Goodnight Magnus."

 **I hope I'm capturing their personalities well enough for everyone. As I said, there is angst to come and I already have some ideas…some more dramatic than others but I'll be sure by next week. Prepare yourselves. Thanks so much for reading! Reviews are happiness, I love feedback!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi! Took a while, but here's the next chapter and it's a fluffy second date because I didn't have time to get to where I wanted to go with the action (tons of homework to do) but the angst is next! So I'll have that by next Sunday hopefully. Anyway, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

"What am I going to do, Iz?"

He and Izzy were together in the kitchen, he was pacing the room as she nibbled on some cereal (the extent of her cooking abilities), seemingly uninterested in what he was saying. They were the only two home, Max over at his friend's house for the day and Jace was out with friends. Their parents, of course, were having brunch with work colleagues to discuss business, even on their day off, but they'd be back later for dinner.

Alec had told her the details of the date after she had spent a good ten minutes coaxing him, and once he started, he wasn't about to hold anything back; confessing his worries about where he was going to take Magnus today for their second date, since he liked knowing what he was doing and this _thing_ he had with Magnus was making him doubt himself. She had had quite a few boyfriends in her short life, holding hands and kissing cheeks since kindergarten, so he supposed she was the one to go to for this.

"Listen, Alec, its not that big a deal. He took you to a cate café, take him somewhere you'd like to go. A zoo, a museum, bowling; hell, be cliché and take him to a movie and dinner." He glared at her and she sighed. "What I'm trying to say is he shouldn't care where he is as long as its with you, ok? Relax."

He appreciated the sentiment, but this was really not getting him anywhere. What kind of places were second date material? Was there anything special about individual dates? They had talked a lot during their first date, and had kissed when they first met, so he didn't know where to go from there or what the standards were, and he couldn't help feeling as though this was all pointless anyway. He was stressing over some guy he had just met. Of course, one mental slap and those thoughts were gone, but he was still in a bit of a kerfuffle. _Damn those romance movies and their cliché claim over good date ideas._

He nodded at Izzy, head far away in his cloud of thoughts, and wandered back towards in his room. Time to consult Google.

.

Magnus was excited to see what Alec had planned for their second date. Well, he was more eager to actually see the adorable flustered boy, but whatever he had planned would surely be a bonus. He didn't know what to anticipate and that was pleasingly thrilling for a young man who had trained himself to always expect the unexpected. The only problem was he literally had nothing to do to kill the time, and time was going aggravatingly slowly. He cursed his early rising. Normally he had things to do, people to see (sometimes the other way round) so he really didn't know what to do with so much time on his hands.

After a while of just playing around with his phone in bed, he got up to go paint his nails gold and watch re-runs of America's Next Top Model, critiquing the choices of the contestants mercilessly, even though he had seen all of the episodes before. By the time he was done he still had an hour and a half before he had to meet Alec at 2:00, so he decided to start getting ready. He did, after all, have a lot to do.

.

They met in front of the deserted school at 2 and Magnus had to do a double take to fully appreciate how the other boy looked. Alec wore an outfit similar to the one he had on the first date, in the sense that they were quite simple, but he must have borrowed these ones from a shorter friend or brother because they fit much better than his seemingly baggy style would suggest. All he wore was a simple black t-shirt, leather jacket, and black skinny jeans but they looked so, so good on his toned form. _Particularly_ the jeans.

He caught Alec look over him too and gave a smug smile, taking pride in his choice of a gold mesh shirt and leather pants, topping it off with an arrangement of gold and black rings and matching tip dyed hair. It had taken a while but Magnus didn't go anywhere without looking his best, especially dates.

"Like what you see? I know I do." He winked and nearly clapped with joy at making the boy blush so deeply so easily. Alec looked down at his feet and started walking down the street, so Magnus followed.

"So where are we going on this lovely afternoon?" he asked.

Alec smiled excitedly. "You'll see." Magnus smiled back, thinking about taking the boy's hand before his mind was read and Alec took his gingerly and he smiled wider. They walked quietly for a while then took a turn down a familiar street leading to the biggest park in New York: Central Park. Magnus wondered if all they were going to do was walk and talk, and found he would be completely fine with that, he felt he'd never get tired of Alec's voice. But the blue eyed boy was clearly looking for something, so maybe he did have more planned.

Suddenly, he was being tugged towards a small group of people crowded around a low circular stage in the middle of a big field sprinkled with autumn trees. He saw that the people on the stage were young, probably around sixteen, and wearing old-looking costumes.

"You mentioned you liked plays yesterday. I found these high schoolers advertising their Shakespeare park performances and…sound good?" he asked uncertainly, looking as if he had just realized Magnus might hold a personal grudge against Shakespeare or something. Magnus, for once, was speechless. This boy he'd been dating for about 24 hours had remembered him quickly mention something the day before then was considerate enough to make sure their next date was something he'd enjoy, when in reality he would have been happy if Alec had taken him to an umbrella factory.

He found his voice but his eyes were still considerably wide. "Great. Fantastic. Thank you." He kissed the boy's cheek, to which the boy ducked his head and blushed. "What play are they showing?"

"A Midsummer Night's Dream, I think." He muttered in response. Magnus clapped his hands together.

"Oh, my favourite!"

"Really?" Alec looked confused.

"Yes, why?"

"Well I guess I'm not very surprised…" he shrugged.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Magnus raised an eyebrow.

"W-what? Nothing! You-you're just very…magical?" Magnus grinned and hooked their arms together.

"That I am. It's a great play though, cunning fairies and the manipulation of humans in love? What not to enjoy? So what's your favourite Shakespeare play?"

"Othello." Magnus frowned.

"But that's a tragedy."

"I read it last year and I focused more on Othello as a character than on how it ended." He shrugged.

They were interrupted by a guy in a sparkly white robe and fairy wings announcing the beginning of the play and so they sat down together with the rest of the crowd on the grass, Alec offering his jacket for Magnus to sit on after he had given a somewhat perturbed look.

.

The play ended, the crowd clapped, and everyone was getting up, but Alec didn't want to because Magnus' head was on his shoulder and it was comfortable and he didn't want to go. So they silently agreed to stay and talked about the play: the costumes, the acting, the staging. After that they talked about their various weird Central Park experiences, like the time Alec had run into a monkey that had escaped from the Central Park Zoo on one of his jogs, or the time when Magnus had gotten drunk and rode a skateboard down a playground slide and had broken his collarbone. Some were weirder than others.

A loud ding from Alec's pocket brought them out of their reverie and Alec was surprised to see that one, it was almost 6 o' clock, and two, his mother had texted him. He frowned and opened the message.

 _Where are you Alexander? Dinner is 7!_

He sighed and got up slowly, helping Magnus up by the hand. He was hoping he'd be forgotten, that the dinner would happen without him and he'd be able to spend the day with Magnus. Turned out luck was in short supply for him at the moment.

"Everything alright?" Magnus asked carefully.

"Yes, I just…" He hesitated for a moment. "I have to go. Family dinner at seven." Magnus gave a small pout, resembling a kid whose balloon had just been stolen.

"Oh, alright. Time to head back then, I suppose." They walked slowly out of the park and back towards Alec's house hand in hand, talking. It took them a good forty minutes to get all the way to his house, so when they stopped outside in front of the steps up to the front door, Alec knew they didn't have any time left. Magnus interrupted the silence that had settled upon them.

"Text me. Tell me how it goes, ok?" he genuinely looked worried, probably concerned about how tense and quiet Alec got the closer they got to his house on the way there.

"Ok. Bye Magnus." They looked each other in the eyes for a silent moment before both leaning in and brushing their lips together. Alec felt this was all they could do in the short amount of time they had and pulled away quickly. Magnus gave him a small wave then stepped away as Alec walked up the steps and opened the front door to face whatever was on the other side.

 **WOOP, did it. It might be complete rubbish but its late and I literally wrote half of this really quickly in like an hour…I have an eff load of homework to do tomorrow. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, and I'll try update for next weekend! There are events to come, some even I don't know about yet. Review my pretty people ;) P.S I might edit this chapter later in the week when I'm more awake, but I said I'd post on the weekend, so I hope I didn't disappoint.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! Sorry, this one's a little short cause I was away visiting my friends in Canada and literally wrote most of this in my car there and back. Hope you like it, enjoy!**

"Alexander! Where have you been?" Not a second through the door and already Alec had come face to face with an agitated mother, arms crossed, scowl set. He wouldn't mind their concern if his parents were actually around enough to notice how little he did go out and how strange it was that he was out at all, but he had been on time and was feeling happy before he had walked in, so he didn't feel like arguing. They could play concerned parents if they wanted.

"Out…with a friend" he sighed out. He saw Izzy give a sympathetic look behind their mother and Jace quirk an eyebrow, standing in the doorway to the dining room. Maryse nodded slowly, arms still crossed and frown still present.

"Hmm…well, you could have told us. Now come on. Your fathers waiting in the dining room." As they all walked in, Alec remembered what had been bothering him before his date with Magnus. His parents had told them the night before that they had a lot to talk about, and now Alec was thinking of all that could possibly mean. _Might they…know?_ That thought was quickly shut down with a _No, they wouldn't have even looked at me when I came in._ Yes, he was just on edge after the date. Maybe that meant it had something to do with his future, otherwise he had no idea. But that's what most of their conversations consisted of when they all had dinner together: his plans and back up plans for colleges and how he was going to make it to the top of the company. He was the oldest after all: the child who had the most expectations cast upon him.

Of course, it might not even involve him. Each child looked equally uneasy, with the exception of Max who was seated in the chair next to Alec's, head down, pouring over one of his old manga. Alec messed with his hair and was met with the boy's dazed eyes and soft smile, one of his favourite sights in the world. That, and now; much to his disdain, Magnus' smile.

Their parents came out with the food and once they were all seated and had started eating, an anticipating silence fell over the table. Alec gave Izzy a reassuring look. Their father gave a loud cough, as if preparing for a speech.

Alec had to keep himself from rolling his eyes as his father began. "Alright, so we've made the time to be here today for a few reasons. First, we have good news for you Alec. About your position in NYIL." There it was, the talk they'd had so many times before. He didn't know whether to feel relieved or frustrated. He'd been hearing about the New York Institute of Law since he started middle school: the place his father had gone; the place his father's father had gone. A place he didn't want to go to for the very reason he didn't want to run the family company.

"As you know," Maryse interjected. "the Penhallows are one of the more favoured families there, attending it for even longer than our family, and their daughter Aline is the same age as you. She has also applied to NYIL and her grades have stood out just as much as yours, Alexander."

"Yeah, I know her." He and Aline were in a lot of the same classes together, and he honestly could have guessed she was applying there. She was always so engaged in economics class, and though his grades weren't as good as Aline's, he still did well. He still didn't know where this was going.

"She is now officially out of the race!" Maryse said excitedly.

"What? Why? What happened? Is she alright?" He asked. His mother's excitement disappeared in a flash as she stared at him uneasily for a second before looking at Max and asking him to go get ready for bed. He, already pretty much lost in his book, left the room and went upstairs queitly. They waited for their mother to continue.

"Her and Helen Blackthorn were caught… _together_ the other day." The Lightwood siblings looked at each other confusedly, but deep down Alec felt like he now knew where this was going. Jace was the one to inquire further details.

"What do you mean?" Maryse looked at her husband urgently, who nodded and continued for her.

"She and Helen were found kissing in Aline's bedroom. So, naturally, she was kicked out. The college was informed by her parents that she won't be attending until next semester, when she has hopefully come to her senses. But, for now, you have no competition."

They were all speechless. Izzy in anger, Jace in shock, and Alec in fear. He suddenly felt as if something was squeezing his chest, testing the limits before his bones cracked or his heart stopped. He had no idea how he looked but if his mother's face was anything to go by, he looked sickly.

"Are you alright Alexander?" they shared a look before looking back understandingly. Robert was the one to speak. "We know its not exactly…natural Alec, but look on the bright side. Your future is set; there is no chance you won't get in now!"

So many words were going through his mind all at once. _Kissing. Kicked out. Not natural. Come to senses. Competition. Future._ He wasn't even registering what else was going on around him, but Izzy was an angry buzz in his subconscious. She was probably going on about how there was nothing unnatural about being gay and how horrible the parents were for kicking out their own child. And, as always, his parents were probably just nodding along and letting her rant while they planned their next few meetings in their heads.

With that thought, Alec felt himself get up and leave, still dazed by all this. Too dazed to hear his family calling after him, too dazed to hear Jace give the excuse that he must be tired from being out all day, too dazed to hear his parents ask Izzy and Jace whether he'd been out with a girl, and too dazed to hear Izzy snap back a response.

.

Alec fell back onto his bed, hands covering his face as he allowed his mind to full. So many thoughts he couldn't sort out that ended up sounding like static in his own ears, and a few that stuck out, like: there went any plans of coming out to his parents. He inwardly scoffed at himself, _as if you were even thinking about doing that._

He went on to plan how he'd live his life if he never told his parents ─ he felt he was patient enough to do that − when a vibration next to his hand emptied his mind of all but one thought: _Magnus_. His name was on the screen of his phone and he felt a short pang of the same fear he'd felt at dinner in his chest and in his head.

 _Kissing. Kicked out. Not natural. Come to senses. Competition. Future._ These were the words he heard as he let the phone ring itself into silence.

 **Hope you liked it! There's the angst I promised…I feel bad but tis necessary, I'm afraid. I have, like, no idea how applications to college works so whoops. Anyway, open to suggestions and criticism so review with your thoughts/feelings! Thanks chicas.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Howdy! Okie so let me know if you'd like more ships to be involved (Sizzy, Clace, etc.) or just Malec cuz perhaps that'll determine the length. But for now, revel in the Malec glory. P.s I don't own TMI…or the Cheetah Girls (I watched all three whilst writing…oops).**

The last thing Magnus was was worried. As he sat on the couch in his loft, staring dazedly at the TV with his phone in one hand and Chairman in the other, Alexander was definitely not occupying his thoughts. Okay, well, maybe just a little.

He felt kind of stupid waiting for a phone call from a boy he'd just met, but Alec already seemed like more than any of his previous relationships; girl and boy. Magnus cared about him more than he'd cared for anyone else he had been with and that both scared and excited him.

The source of the worry was that Alec had looked fairly tense after talking with his parents on the phone. From what he had gathered on their dates, they weren't the most supportive parents, even without knowing about his sexuality. Magnus himself had never liked the idea of keeping something like that from the people who were supposed to love you the most in the world, even though Magnus himself had never had to worry about that, but he wouldn't pressure Alec into something like that. It was a decision he had to make on his own when he was ready.

So there he was, staring into space, _the Cheetah Girls_ playing on his TV and Alec on his mind, when he heard a knock on the door. _Alexander?_ He thought. By the time he got to the door he had reasoned that the chances of it being the tall, blue eyed, dark haired boy who had never even been to his apartment were very slim.

When he opened the door a girl with curly brown hair and grey eyes stood on the other side. They were not strangers to each other, Tessa went to NYU with him and they had met because they were both minoring in philosophy. He was majoring in fashion and she in English Literature, but they both shared a fondness for the subject and often studied together because they got along well. Though this visit hadn't been planned, Magnus was happy for the company.

"Tessa! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Sorry, its late, but I missed the notes on Friday. Do you mind?"

"Of course not, c'mon in." He waved her in and they stepped into his living room. Magnus bent down, digging around for his notes and bobbing his head to a cheetalicious song. "So how's it going?"

She took a seat in one of his chairs and hugged a purple velvet pillow to her chest. As always she looked content and peaceful, a light smile playing over her face that never seemed to fade.

"Good, busy. I finished that book you gave me." Said Tessa. She continued, telling him how she thought of the book and getting lost in her rant until Magnus handed her the notes. "Thanks. So how did your plan to seduce the blue-eyed angel go?" she said.

"Wonderfully! He was so adorably flustered by my magnificence. We went on a date Friday where I took him to Kat's and had our second date today; he took me to see A Midsummer Night's Dream in Central Park and then we talked for hours, just lying around. It was amazing." He said, jumping up and down, wishing he had a handful of glitter at that moment to express the glorious feeling of a new relationship.

"That's great! Two dates in a row? Very unlike you Magnus." She smiled. He would admit that he was a very open person, so between classes and their study sessions they'd gotten pretty close and now knew quite a lot about each other. She was an amazing listener, maybe not as good as the Chairman, but pretty damn good for a human.

"Don't remind me. I have no idea what I'm doing." _Or what this is,_ he added in his head, because he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. He sat up and folded his knees to his chest, slight worry coming back with the thought of the boy. Maybe this dinner he was at had gone terribly and he needed comforting.

"Hey." Tessa interrupted his thoughts gently. "I'm sure you're doing great." She got up and started gathering her stuff, most likely sensing his sudden need to be alone. "It's late and Will's probably wondering where I am. Bye Magnus! Oh and thanks."

He hugged her and followed her to the door. "Bye Tess, tell Will I say hi."

After closing the door, he went straight to the couch and picked up his phone, contemplating whether it was a good idea to call and possibly interrupt a family dinner or if he should just wait. It had been over an hour since they'd parted ways, so it might be over. And he felt his chest strain at the thought of the boy hurting because of his parents. At this point he wasn't even going to try denying that he cared deeply for the boy he'd gotten to know.

To hell with it, if he interrupted he'd apologize and wait for Alec to call him back, if not he'd be able to talk to him. He kept telling himself this as he pressed Alec's contact number.

.

Alec lay restlessly in the darkness of his room hours after the ignored call, absently reciting History facts in his head for his test on Monday but not really concentrating, a louder voice telling him to at least text him back. Magnus had left a voicemail and the words echoed.

 _Sorry if I interrupted. Just wanted to know how it went. Call me back._

A big part of him wanted to, to vent about his parents like the whiny teenager he was never allowed to be. But he started thinking about his seemingly inevitable future. He had a choice to make, one he'd never fully thought about. To come out to his parents or hide forever. In his mind, choosing to turn his own parents against him would only lead to worse things, like Aline's situation with her parents. _Besides_ , he thought _, I could always find someone else in the future, when a better time to come out shows up._ Yes: he'd go to the Institute like his parents had always wanted and he'd come out after he moved out or graduated, whichever came last.

But the thought made him ache. Magnus made him feel that pure happiness only experienced as a kid. The one that made you smile easily and without thought, that held no worry for the future because it may as well not exist. The happiness he hadn't experienced in what felt like a long while.

He sat up on his elbows when he heard his door open and saw a shadow creep towards him. The small figure took a seat on his bed and sighed.

"I could hear you thinking from my room. What's wrong, big bro?" Said Izzy. She sounded sad and tired. Maybe she'd gotten a lecture after he'd left the table. He knew their parents loved to go on about how her many relationships were unhealthy and how she should dress more appropriately if she were to also go into business. He also knew she hated all of that kind of talk, and he hated seeing her suffer when all she ever was was herself.

What Alec didn't know and never really had was that every mean comment made and every plan for his future forced upon him greatly saddened his sister as if they were intended for her. And that was something neither sibling understood about each other: that they were there for each other because they cared.

"Nothing. I'm just…tired, y'know?" she reached her hand out and found his.

"Look Alec, Jace and I were talking and we really think you should tell mom and dad." There was a silence in which Alec felt as though his brain had just shut down, mind wiped clean.

"Wh-What? No! I can't now Izzy, not after the whole college and Aline thing. They would just ignore it o-or think I'm being rebellious or whatever!"

"Alec. Jace, Max, and I will always be here for you. Even if mom and dad don't accept you for who you date, you'll always have us. We'd fight day and night for you." She squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Izzy, its not that simple. I love you guys and I know you care for me, but I-I just don't want _them_ to look at me and see some disgusting, failure of an eldest son, okay?" He put his head back on his pillow, a small amount of the weight he'd been carrying for years lifted, yet the revelation that he could never bring a boy back home to introduce to his parents because of his cowardice evening it out.

Why did he care so much about what his absentee parents thought, anyway? He didn't know. The overbearing need to please them consumed him and he didn't know why.

"Alright I'm not going to push you, just tell you to think about it. And…don't listen to them, okay? You've been so much happier since Magnus, don't push him away because of them. Goodnight." she said and exited his room, leaving him to an even more conflicted war going on inside his head.

 **Oh the inner struggles. I hate angst so maybe I'll resolve some shiet next before time jumping. I'm a fluff junkie. So review with thoughts and concerns. But I look forward to writing this fanfic every week, so thank you to everyone who follows, reviews, and favourites; it makes me so happy to know people like what I'm writing so far, especially since its my first fic :) Seeya next week!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi! Didn't update last week because I dislocated my shoulder and had to have it in a sling for a while: typing with one hand isn't easy. But I'm good now and have a long memorial weekend so a longish eventful chapter is in order! Enjoy :)**

Magnus hadn't heard from Alec that night, nor the day after, and arrived to classes on Monday with a mind focused on everything he'd said on their date, rather than on his design projects. They had left on great terms, with a kiss and a goodbye, so he was left to ponder what his parents might have said to him, because Alec didn't seem like the type to play hard to get. He decided he needed to speak to him.

None of his close friends took the same major as him, so it wasn't until he arrived at philosophy that his mood was noticed. As soon as he wandered in to the room, he saw Tessa give him a questioning look. _Do I look that out of it?_ He wondered. That blue eyed boy sure was taking a toll on him.

"Hey Tess." He smiled.

"Hey Magnus. Everything alright?" she asked.

"Everything's great, I ─ "He was interrupted by the professor beginning his lecture. To Magnus, the class went by as quickly as it had begun, with him doodling random articles of clothing on various philosophers in his notebook as he thought of blue eyes, and soon they were being dismissed. Tessa stopped him as he packed up his notes.

"Are you going to tell me what's bothering you or will I have to drag it out of you?" said Tessa. He had to hand it to her, she was a determined and perceptive girl. He fiddled with the rings on his fingers.

"Nothing. Just Alexander hasn't so much as butt-dialed me since our last date, so I don't know. Is that bad?" He said, walking out of the class.

"Oh Magnus, I thought Chairman had died or something." She looked somewhat relieved.

"He may as well have, darling." he said. She rolled her eyes in response.

"But if that's what's concerning you, why haven't you just called him?"

"I did once, but I don't want to come off as pushy or scare him off."

"He's new at all this, right? So what's pushy to you might seem caring to him." She smiled. "We could walk by his school and you can talk to him, if you'd like."

"I was planning to, but I would really enjoy the company." They walked along the streets of New York and talked for a bit before stopping in front of Alec's school. They stood by the entrance to the car park and waited for the final bell to ring.

.

When Alec was upset, he focused all of his mind on school work, so that's what he did all day. Not once did he think of Magnus, and when he felt his mind edge toward that train of thought, he put up his mental wall and, according to Izzy, made a face between a scowl and a pout.

His walls shook as he passed by a happy looking Aline in the hallway, hand in hand with Helen, laughing at something she had said. _Could it be that easy?_ He wondered. He decided it didn't matter anyway because he had made up his mind and had to do what he had to do. He forced his mind into his next class.

His walls came down with a BOOM and a tidal wave of hope when he walked out of school and saw a familiar spike of glittery black hair at the school gate. He fought the urge to walk up to him and kiss him then and there. _Don't do this to your future, to your hard-working parents._ But even the thought made him feel empty.

He walked towards his car, pretending not to see Magnus, who was talking to a brown haired girl with a kind face. He felt an uneasy hope that he had lost interest in Alec and was here to see her: she looked like a high schooler. But Alec kept his eyes on them, accidentally catching the girl's eyes. She tapped Magnus' arm and pointed towards him and Magnus turned and the light caught the glitter in his hair and a picture of hope was stuck on his face and Alec's heart panged.

He stopped where he was and stared at the man walking towards him, feeling there was no use in trying to get away. What could he do, run? His body wouldn't let him anyway. He could, however, control what he said, and in the time it took for Magnus to walk across half the parking lot, he already had a list of what he wanted to say.

Coincidentally, his mind blanked when Magnus stopped in front of him and smiled warmly. Only expletives could be used by his mind at the time. He looked down at his shoes, wanting to get out of the situation at the same time as wanting to let himself drown in it.

"Hi," said Magnus.

"Hey." He said. Times like these made him wish he was good at social interactions. Magnus stepped closer to him and grazed his hand against Alec's, so Alec glanced up into his eyes. This was a big mistake: he could feel himself abandoning all his previous arguments and leaning into Magnus' touch. He unconsciously took his hand.

"Want to take a walk?" Magnus asked quietly.

"Magnus…I ─ " he began.

"Five minutes?" he sighed but allowed himself to be led away all the same. There was a silence as they slowly walked side by side before Magnus found something to say.

"How was the rest of your weekend?" he asked. To Alec, it was obvious he was trying to edge towards the topic of the dinner, but he appreciated the thoughtfulness.

"Boring, honestly." _Because all I wanted was to see you again,_ he almost added.

"Mine too, I kind of just wanted to see you again." Alec felt himself smile and his inner teenage girl did happy flips. "Chairman kept me company though." He joked airily.

"Izzy made me go shopping with her" He groaned, then he remembered what he needed to say. "Look…Magnus, I like you and…I wish I didn't have to, but I ─"

"Alexander. Does what you're about to say have anything to do with that dinner you had with your parents?" Magnus interrupted with a calm, understanding voice. Alec wanted to kiss him so badly. Instead he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Its not that simple, Magnus. I don't- I can't…" he trailed off.

Magnus stopped walking and lightly tugged on Alec's hand. "I want to understand." He couldn't. He shouldn't. But he really wanted to. He let out a frustrated growl.

"Screw it." He said, and grabbed Magnus by the waist. He kissed him hungrily, in a way that showed he'd been craving it since they had parted on Saturday, after he thought he'd never get to again. He felt Magnus smile into the kiss and soon his hands were in his hair and they were kissing deeply on the side of the street. They broke apart with a laugh.

"Come on." Alec tells him, and leads them back towards the school parking lot.

.

The car ride was sort of awkward, Izzy and Magnus in the back talking about various magazines and man crushes, and a smirking Jace riding shotgun next to Alec in knowing silence.

They got home and Alec was glad to find that his parents were out and that, as usual, they'd have the house to themselves. Plenty of time to talk with Magnus. As they walked in the door, Alec was tackled by a midget, also known as Max, who started talking animatedly about his day at school before seeing the extra person attached to Alec's side.

"Magnus?" he asked, shocked. The man in question had an amused look on his face, as if he wasn't surprised he'd been talked about in the household. Alec sure was.

"That's me. You must be Max." he smiled.

"You are so manga." Said Max, mouth slightly agape. Alec laughed uneasily and put his hand on Max's shoulder. Magnus smiled widely and crouched down to Max's level.

"Maybe sometime I can teach you how to look manga too." He winked. Alec's heart swelled as his brother nodded excitedly and ran off towards his room, saying something about how they should start right after he showed Magnus his manga collection. Magnus looked just as excited, so Alec took his hand and squeezed it which earned him a heartfelt smile.

"You wanted to talk?" Alec looked at his siblings who took the hint and headed towards the kitchen, most likely to argue about what to eat for dinner before eventually ordering Taki's. Alec led Magnus to a couch in the living room and they took a seat, Magnus leaning his head against Alec's shoulder.

"I told you about my parents and how they have this big future planned out for me step by step, and how they don't know that I'm gay..." Magnus squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Well I have a really great reason to believe that they would kick me out if they ever found out. And I…" he trailed off.

"You don't have to tell me everything if you don't want to." Magnus said, bringing Alec's face closer to his with a hand on his cheek. Scared blue eyes looked into comforting brown ones. Alec found his voice again.

"I don't want everything they worked for to be for nothing." He said and looked away. He didn't want to feel this way, he wished he was a stupid, rebellious teenager who didn't care what his parents or anybody else thought, but he did and he wasn't. Nothing, to him, was ever that simple. Except, when Magnus was around, it seemed that way, and he was happy about that.

"Alexander, its your life. Do what you think you need to do even if your parents don't like it." He paused to brush the hair out of Alec's eyes. "If they want what's best for you they won't care. And if they do, you have Izzy, and Jace, and Max, and…me." He said, almost like he was asking for permission. Alec himself felt a little caught off guard at the last part and looked up in time to see Magnus lean in and catch his lips, like a promise for the future and he felt safe.

He believed it now, and felt silly for not believing Izzy earlier. Those who loved you would stand by your side through anything, and Alec realized he was lucky enough to have people who cared about him, to have someone outside of his family who cared.

They broke apart when they heard footsteps running towards them and looked at the doorway where Max came in, hands full of comics. He was dropping something every second footstep but with what he had left he dropped on Magnus' lap and then jumped onto Alec's.

That's how they stayed, Alec's arms wrapped around Max who explained the plot of a manga excitedly before being reminded about another and picking it up to summarize instead. Eventually Izzy and Jace came in with some takeout and sat down on the floor in front of them.

"You guys finished making out?" asked Jace. Izzy hit him Magnus grinned at Alec's deep red blush.

"Ew!" Max giggled.

They talked like this until the food was gone and it was dark outside, then Magnus said that he should probably go, it was a school night after all. Alec got up and started walking him towards the door but was stopped by Max who got up to hug Magnus around the waist.

"Bye Magnus." He said, smiling. His other siblings smirked and waved him goodbye.

They walked hand in hand and shared chaste kisses at the door, whispering hesitant goodbyes in between. Magnus felt like he held the world in his hands. Alec felt indestructible. Then a voice from the open front door drew them apart with a jump.

"Alexander Gideon Lightwood!" Maryse and Robert Lightwood stood outside, looking angry.

 **Oh angst, I thought you were gone. But Max was here, I always wanted him and Magnus to meet in the books so I enjoyed writing that a lot. Hope you liked it, seeya next week :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Neuuugh, time for some Lightwood family conversations. Stupid, unsupportive bum parents. Try enjoy this pain, I guess.**

They stood there for a while, the Lightwood parents standing silently on the front steps and Alec and Magnus blocking the front door, all of them staring at each other. Maryse was red in the face, Robert looked disgusted, and Alec was utterly stunned. Magnus didn't know whether to hug Alec and tell him it would all be okay or to punch his boyfriend's parents in their stupid judgmental faces. By the time Robert spoke, he decided neither would be wise.

"Alec. Inside. Now." He glanced at Magnus then back at Alec. "Alone." Magnus turned to Alec and took his hand confidently.

"Do you need me with you for this?" Alec shook his head with unfocused eyes, murmuring that he needed to do it alone.

"Whatever happens; call me afterwards. Remember what I said: I'm here for you." Alec's eyes focused on the other man. He nodded before stepping closer and pecking Magnus' lips chastely. Magnus took this as a good sign and smiled before turning back towards the now very angry looking adults.

"Good evening." He said and brushed past them, leaving Alec alone to face his parent's wrath.

.

A loud boom echoed through the house as Robert Lightwood slammed the door behind them. The heads of three of the Lightwood children popped around the corner with questioning looks on their faces. Their curiosity clearly didn't win out when they saw the look on their parent's faces, they retreated back to the kitchen. Alec didn't blame them for backing out of there the second they saw how horrible the situation looked: due to their constant absence, they rarely saw the bad side of their parents. It was fine. Alec could handle it.

"What the hell was that?" yelled Robert after another moment of standing around and staring at each other. Alec took a deep breath.

"That was me with my boyfriend. His name is Magnus." Saying it out loud, watching his father's face contort in rage and confusion as he spoke made him more determined to get everything off of his chest. His sexuality, his feelings about their absence, his real college wishes. He would if he had the time. If they would listen.

After being stared at for a solid two minutes, his father spoke. "How in God's name did this happen?" Maryse put her hand on his shoulder, looking more despaired than angry. Alec's heart panged painfully in his chest, then he filled with frustration.

"It didn't just happen! I've always been gay; you guys have just never been there to notice!" He said.

"Don't be crazy, Alexander, we would have seen something like…this." Maryse said with a wave of her hand.

"Is there anything we can do to…make you better?" said Robert. For a fleeting moment Alec thought they might have been offering to be there for him, and his heart sunk. All of his previous courage drained and he suddenly felt winded, unwilling to argue anymore and faced with the urge to just run. Whenever he thought about coming out before, he knew his parents wouldn't be supportive, but the reality hurt more than the thought ever did. He wished they could see how much he'd been trying all his life to live up to their expectations, denying who he was to make them happy. As it turned out, they preferred a model son to the real thing.

Luckily, the others had clearly been listening in the other room and were there beside him in an instant, ready to fight for their big brother. Izzy swept into the argument like a hurricane.

"Better? There is nothing wrong with Alec! All he does is try to please you guys and this is how you support him; like the loving parents you are supposed to be? By judging him for something like this? Its not like he's doing drugs, he's kissing boys! There are worse things." She was basically spitting on them in her mad frenzy. Jace joined in as well.

"Alec has never been happier, and he deserves it. "

Yeah! And Magnus is cool!" said Max. Alec smiled slightly at their total support. He felt like if Magnus were here, he'd be arguing animatedly for him as well.

"Why did you do this this?" Their mother asked Alec, looking at her youngest son to her oldest with horror.

Alec frowned. "It's not like I _converted_ them to homosexuality or something." His parents exchanged worried glances.

"Well, I don't want your…friend around this house! You're grounded until further notice." She said. Robert stood next to her, his hand covering half of his face. Alec felt an explosion inbound.

"He's not my friend, he's my boyfriend. And why am I being grounded for bringing a boy to our house? Jace and Izzy bring people they're dating here all the time."

"Jace dates girls and Izzy dates boys! You…Alec you're probably just confused." Maryse reached out to touch his cheek, smiling understandingly, but he stepped away.

"Mom, I'm not confused. I'm dating Magnus, and I really like him. If you think you'll never be able to accept the fact that I'm gay and always will be, tell me now. I don't want to waste any more time." There was a short silence filled with a buzzing anger and shock in the air. In the end, Robert sighed and shook his head all the way up the stairs, and Maryse closed her eyes for a while before going up to follow her husband. Alec's shoulders drooped as he watched them go, but smiled when he turned back to his siblings.

"Thanks guys." He said, forcing a smile.

"No need, we're here for you bro." Jace said, putting an arm over his shoulder. Izzy came up right in front of him and looked him dead in the eyes. This close, he could see tears welling up in her eyes.

"Don't you ever think otherwise." She said, and hugged him. Max and Jace joined in, and they all stood there hugging in the middle of the hallway, Alec feeling mildly flustered. He murmured another few thank yous and let them comfort him because he so rarely let any hurting part of him be seen by those he was looking out for. It felt nice to let it out for once.

After hugging for a while they slowly broke apart and all came to a silent decision that they should do something to lighten the mood. They ended up watching movies and eating popcorn until midnight, the only one awake at that point being Alec. He looked over at his siblings, who were all snuggled against each other in an unconscious fondness, and felt himself slowly doze off before remembering something. He took out his phone and squinted at the bright screen, clicking on Magnus' name.

 _Talk tomorrow? It's been a long day._

 _Alright...you OK? xx_

 _Yeah :) Goodnight x_

 _Goodnight Alexander xx_

Although Alec felt he should probably be panicking about what all this meant for his future, he admitted nothing had ever felt more right, and couldn't help but smile as he gently slipped into sleep.

 **All is somewhat resolved…for now? I had a thought that I could potentially end this here and would like to know what you readers think, you satisfied? If you want more, tell me and I'll see you next week!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Huzzah! A couple people wanted me to go on, so go on I shall. I was kind of in a rush to finish, damn finals prep, so I didn't go over it fully so it might seem all over the place, I dunno, but hope you enjoy!**

It had been two weeks since Alec had been grounded, and Magnus and him had already been on their third and fourth dates. They were more traditional this time, the third a movie and the fourth some dinner at a place called Taki's. He personally preferred the movie date, although if you asked him he wouldn't have been able to tell you what the movie was specifically about.

He liked finding out more about Magnus' life when they were at Taki's. Who his friends were, what he liked to do when he wasn't at parties or designing outfits. He even started talking about his childhood, something Alec had noticed he was very secretive about earlier. Magnus told him he'd run away from home when he was younger, and that he stayed at an orphanage for some time, saving money from odd jobs and favours to attend college. After that Alec felt even more attached to Magnus, walking with him most days after school and talking on the phone most nights.

He felt sort of bad for sneaking around behind his parents' backs, but they were really busy lately, off at meetings most days, so they weren't there to catch him. Just in case they did notice his absence though, Izzy had him on speed dial and was acting like his own private relationship manager, something he rolled his eyes at whenever mentioned by Izzy but deeply appreciated in truth.

He reflected on how silly this all sounded when looked at altogether. He was dating a college boy fashion major, and sneaking around his parents like some stupid teenager in a movie. Though it did make him feel oddly satisfied. _So this was what I was missing when I was busy being cynical towards other people in relationships._

And now he found that when he was in school all he wanted was to be around Magnus, which was odd for him because he usually didn't mind school all that much, enjoyed focusing and being busy. But as his teachers spoke all he could think about were those golden-green eyes and the purring voice that brightened his mood and longed for the last bell. He was doing fine in most subjects, better than fine in English, but econ was proving to be even more difficult for him.

That was another story, because his parents were basically avoiding him, he had yet to tell them about the college issue. Izzy and Magnus had teamed up a few days earlier and together had persuaded him to send a college application to the college he really wanted to go to, for a literature degree. He was extremely worried for a number of reasons, whether he would even get accepted, what his parents would say if he did, and what would happen with him and Magnus.

He made his worries vacate his mind and focused on the clock that was seconds away from signaling the last bell.

.

Magnus was outside waiting where he usually did, but as Alec got closer he noticed three other people with him. He recognized the brown haired girl from last time as Tessa. Another girl stood in front of her, talking animatedly. This girl was taller and had bleached white hair with blue streaks and astonishing blue eyes to match. Between her and a laughing Magnus was a grumpy looking, green haired man, also with eyes to match. As Alec got closer he could hear what they were saying.

"Ragnor, I'm hurt. I can't believe you and Raphael would talk about me behind my back!" Magnus said, bringing hand to his chest. Then he saw Alec standing awkwardly aside from the group. "Alexander, there you are!" He gave him a quick kiss and took his hand, turning back towards the three people.

"These are my so-called friends. Catarina, Tessa, and Ragnor." They all rolled their eyes. Tessa gave him a warm smile, Catarina shook his hand, and Ragnor gave him a calculating look.

"Hi," he said nervously. "I'm Alec."

Ragnor came up next to him and clamped an arm around his shoulder. "Hello Alec. You and I need to have a little chat." Alec felt all kinds of afraid as he looked back to Magnus and received an uneasy smile and a shrug.

"Uhm…OK." They all started walking along, Alec didn't even know where they were headed.

"So I've recently discovered you've been dating my dear friend Magnus. I was talking with Raphael, a close friend of mine, and we were wondering what your intentions were with him. He's been in more than a few train wrecks in his life, and it would be nice to know that you don't plan on being one of them in the future." Alec was taken aback. He was getting the older brother talk, something he was used to giving.

Now that he had been asked, he'd realized he'd never thought about his relationship with Magnus ending, much less ending badly. The past few weeks he had been learning to live in the moment with a boyfriend that made him feel nothing but happiness, even in light of his parent's judgement. The thought that he might one day hurt Magnus made him feel a horrible sadness.

"Well?" said Ragnor, bringing him back from his own thoughts. He shook his head and looked Ragnor in the eyes.

"I'd never hurt him." He felt certain about that. There was a tense silence for a moment, then Ragnor pat his back in approval, slowing down to fall into step with the rest. Alec felt arms slide around his waist from behind and a head on his shoulder, making him stop and the others go ahead.

"Sorry about that. We've been friends for a while, almost brothers, so he gets protective sometimes."

"Well, I get where he's coming from I guess." Alec turned in his arms to rest his forehead against Magnus' and kept his eyes on the lips in front of him. He wanted to make this last.

"Mhm." Magnus leaned his head forward and kissed Alec deeply, completely getting lost in each other's lips and tongues and warmth that they forgot they were going anywhere. A kick to the shin from Ragnor broke Magnus away from Alec.

"Jesus, Ragnor! What the hell?" Magnus said.

"If you two love birds are finished with the very public display of affection; we'd like to eat something now." He said in a polite tone, it was almost hard to tell they were being insulted. Behind Ragnor, Catarina was giving them a thumbs up. Alec laughed and stepped beside Magnus to take his hand.

"So where are we going?" he asked.

"The cat café sound good to you? I'm in the mood to be surrounded by cats, they help me with fashion blocks." Alec laughed.

"Yes, sounds great."

.

They all sat around a table, Magnus stroking a new kitten the café had recently adopted, watching as his friends talked with his boyfriend fondly.

"I'm actually majoring in literature." Tessa told Alec after a lengthy discussion about classic favourites.

"I'm majoring in medicine and doing an internship at a hospital near my school." Catarina said proudly.

"Teaching degree. Though I sort of regret that decision now." Ragnor followed.

"He secretly loves it." Catarina added, nudging Alec playfully.

He loved all these people, and felt lucky to be surrounded by people who loved him, who he felt would always be there for him whenever he really needed them. After what his childhood was like, it was a relief to have the assurance. As Magnus sat back and observed, he couldn't help but get lost in thoughts about his kind mother and aggressive father. He remembered getting back from school most days to hear them arguing and going straight to his small room to avoid his father's wrath that usually took time to build up and then exploded, his mother usually receiving most of the aftermath.

A hand on his brought him back, blue eyes meeting golden-green.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah." Magnus smiled at his unsure looking boyfriend. "Talk later?" Alec nodded. He saw Ragnor give him a look, and nodded subtly at the unspoken question.

"Well I must get going. I have to cram 11th grade history information for the infernal school I'm subbing at on Monday." Ragnor groaned, getting up. Tessa and Catarina followed, saying they were fairly tired. That's when Magnus realized the sun setting outside. Time flied.

He and Alec stayed a few minutes longer, finishing their third individual coffees before getting up to leave. They walked down the street instead of hailing a cab. Neither wanted to go home alone.

"You want to know what I was thinking about earlier?" Magnus asked. Alec smiled reassuringly.

"I was thinking about how lucky I am to have great friends and an amazing boyfriend." He smiled, Alec took his hand in his. "Then I thought about my parents."

Magnus wondered how it was possible he'd met someone he could show all of him to. He'd been with a few men and women in his time, done the whole boyfriend thing, but he was always the type to leave the past in the past, live in the present, and look forward to the future. It felt different. It felt good.

"With them I thought love was something you had no say over. That you couldn't choose who you loved, and I felt so bad some nights at that god forsaken house lying in bed while my parents were arguing, thinking that I should love them because my friends loved their parents. In a way I did, but I ran away because I wanted to prove myself wrong. I could love someone and let them learn to love me."

At this point they had stopped walking and were so close Magnus could smell that defining Alec smell. Soap and old books. With a tiny hint of his own sandalwood scent. He loved it. He loved him. He needed to say it.

"I've been with a lot of people, Alexander. Each one proving me wrong, always ending with me leaving because I was never ready to let them close enough to fully know all of me. But with you…" Alec put a hand on his cheek and smiled.

"Magnus, ever since I've met you I've been the best me I never thought I could be. I don't have much experience in any of this, but you make me feel like none of that matters. I love you."

Magnus grinned. "I love you too Alexander."

They crashed into each other, tongues and teeth clashing together in their most heated kiss. Hands roamed and Magnus started biting on Alec's neck, trying to show his love for the boy in front of him. Both were thinking about going home with the other, but of course the ringing of Alec's phone interrupted them. Magnus didn't stop sucking and biting as Alec hesitantly picked up.

"Yes? What do you want?" he said.

"Alec! Oh my god, where are you, I texted and called-" Izzy was on the other end, sounding frantic.

"Shit, sorry. There mustn't have been any signal…" he replied.

"Come here now, we're at the…the hospital Alec!" she started crying hysterically.

"Izzy?! What is it Izzy? Is everything okay?" At this point Magnus was giving him a worried look, probably able to hear every word his sister was saying on the other end.

"Alec, oh god, its Max."

 **Sorry...much angst. But I promise its not as bad as it seems! Too much angst causes too much plot and I should probably wrap it up anyway, so we'll see. While you wait, let me know what you thought about the chapter! Seeya.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorrryyyyy. I was supposed to be doing updates every week…but it be summer! (I feel the need to justify myself). I had exams, and when those were over I had to go to Ireland the next day and am still here! I have an American laptop so I'm conserving my battery between writing and posting fanfic, plus all of the family activities I do is ridiculous. Anyway hopefully no one minded too much and everyone's having a great summer! Enjoy :)**

Magus watched as Alec took off hastily, not even taking the time to hang up the phone, probably to get to wherever the hell Izzy was. A storm of thoughts swept through him. From the loud, desperate words he heard on the other end of Alec's phone, he knew that Max was hurt in some way and that Alec would need him if it was as bad as it sounded.

Magnus followed his boyfriend through the crazy New York streets.

.

Alec didn't see anyone or anything that was going on around him, running through endless streets he'd walked before, rushing to the hospital his family always went to, when he'd broken his arm; when Izzy had had a cooking accident. He could have taken a cab, he could have had Izzy come get him, but somehow running made the situation seem less real to him. Maybe it was the blurry faces in the grey rainy day, or the weightless feeling his speed gave him, but the situation seemed like some sort of daydream. Something fuzzy between sleep and awake.

Thoughts of Max rushed through his mind; them at Central Park with Izzy and Jace, him on his back smiling, Max showing him and Magnus his manga, late nights when Max was younger and got scared at night. He didn't know why he was being so dramatic, maybe Max had just tripped down the stairs and sprained something or hit his head, maybe Izzy was just being a worried older sister. He prayed that that would be the case.

He wasn't sure if Magnus was actually behind him and found himself hoping he would be; if Max wasn't okay…no. Alec refused to think about it anymore and started thinking about where the hell he was in relation to the hospital, finding it quickly after focusing all his mind on it.

He slowed down outside the entrance to the emergency room, staring uneasily at the ominous, gloomy building. Max couldn't be waiting in there. Not the bright faced, happy-go-lucky boy Alec knew. He was fine. Alec stood there for a few more minutes before feeling a familiar hand in his, gently squeezing. He looked beside him at a breathless Magnus, who gave him an encouraging nod. They walked into the building hand-in-hand.

Room 009. That was the room the nurse at the desk told Alec Max was in. She wouldn't tell him his condition, or what happened. She just directed them to the room, saying it was at the end of the hall on the left. Again Alec felt the need to run, to make sure the boy in the room wasn't Max, that it was all just a big mistake. But he walked, in fear of seeing his brother hurt, and as he walked closer he could see a fashionable, dark haired girl sitting in a chair across from a bed, face in her hands and trembling. Izzy. He could hear her crying through the door.

His parents stood next to her, embracing each other. Maryse's head was buried in Robert's shoulder and Alec became terrified. His parents rarely hugged, the last time in Alec's memory probably being Izzy's early days. It was weird to see them like that.

He stopped a step before the top of the bed could be viewed. All he saw was Izzy, his parents, and a trail of small legs under white hospital bed covers. He couldn't do it. Alec felt a tug from the man beside him, but he couldn't pull his eyes away from the scene to see what was written in the golden-green eyes. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and stepping into the room.

It was indeed Max. He looked like a baby lying in the giant hospital bed without his glasses, looking peaceful aside from the fact that he had a big red scratch across his face. Alec couldn't breathe. Or he was breathing too quickly. Either way, he felt dizzy.

He saw movement in the corner of his eyes and was bear-hugged by a tear soaked Izzy.

"Alec! Ma-Max, h-he's in a coma!" she sobbed into his shoulder. The words hit him like a wrecking ball to the stomach. He closed his eyes tightly and felt tears threaten the strength he needed to comfort Izzy with. He wanted to know why…how this could happen to his youngest brother.

"How?" he whispered.

Izzy stepped away from her brother's arms, looking at him straight in the eyes. "He was w-walking home from Ty's, the house just across the street. H-he's done it a million times before! He crossed…the street an-and a car…" she broke down again.

"Oh God," Alec said. He then noticed Jace sitting in a chair next to Max, holding one of his hands and staring into space with a steely expression. Keeping an arm around Izzy, he walked over to put a hand on his brother's shoulder. Jace's expression stayed, but Alec saw the despair and helplessness in his eyes; they reflected his own.

Alec took his arms back and went around to the other side of the bed, needing to sit down. He took Max's hand in his and looked up, catching a glimmer at the doorway. He saw Magnus looking at him dazedly, probably deep in thought. Despite the situation, he gave a small smile. This seemed to catch Magnus' attention. He mouthed, _are you okay?_

Alec almost laughed. Instead, he shrugged, because although he wasn't at the moment, he knew he would be. Magnus looked very concerned and Alec knew he was fighting everything in him not to come into the room filled with a grieving family so he could comfort his boyfriend. After a minute of looking at Magnus in what he hoped was a reassured face, Magnus mouthed something else.

 _I love you,_ he said with a wave, clearly deciding he shouldn't disturb the family moment. Alec nodded and waved back and Magnus disappeared back down the way they came. He loved how understanding his boyfriend could be but with his departure, Alec felt an emptiness fall upon the devastated room. It was going to be a long night.

.

Since he'd gotten there, Alec had barely left his brother's side, learning more about what had happened and what his condition was. As Izzy told him before, Max was on his way home from his friend's house when a car sped around the corner and hit him. Izzy was on her way home from self-defense class and witnessed it all. According to the doctor, it was a wonder he wasn't killed with the amount of internal bleeding and broken bones Max suffered.

Once Izzy was over with the sad stage in grieving, anger replaced it. Apparently, the guy who hit him, some guy named Sebastian, wanted to sue for his brother getting a dent in his new car. Izzy, as well as their parents once they had found out, had been raging about it most of their time there but Alec focused more on the fact that Max wasn't killed. Relief extinguished any anger towards the douche that hit his recovering little brother.

He'd learned that Max had barely left surgery alive, that he technically died for a few seconds before they used the defibrillator. They didn't know how long he would be in a comatose state, but they guessed that his wounds would heal before he even woke up. Alec barely knew how to process that, so when he wasn't comforting Izzy or Jace, or lost in his own thoughts next to Max; he was texting Magnus, giving him updates on Max's condition. It somehow helped him get the information through his head.

That's what he was doing two days after the accident, one hand clasped in his younger brothers, the other texting his only source of comfort. He was alone in the room, Izzy and Jace grabbing a coffee and some lunch together while his parents were busying themselves by talking to any available doctors about their youngest son's condition.

 _Alec: yeah I'm alone with him here. He looks like he's just sleeping._

 _Magnus: he's going to be ok Alexander. You should try talking to him. He can hear you, you know._

Alec stared at that text for a while, then up at Max. He may as well try, he had to. He started at a whisper.

"Hey Max. I hope you can actually hear me, otherwise, I'll look pretty silly." He gave a light, breathy laugh. What was he doing?

"I wish you were awake so I could listen to you talk about manga and how annoying Jace can be. I guess maybe I should talk about me then. So…school's good. Getting good grades and stuff, well except in economics lately. Can't wait for mom and dad to hear about that…" he trailed off and looked up and to the door, making sure he was still alone.

"It might be a little because of Magnus, but to be honest Max, I don't even like it. I hope you get to do something you like when you're older, Max, that you're more rebellious than me." He laughs sadly. "Magnus is actually helping me on that front too, he's made me apply to more schools for things I actually like and…between you and me, I applied to his college for literature. I don't know how he'd feel about it but…I love him. And he motivates me. And I don't want to go to the Institute."

Alec found that he was rambling and stopped, giving a heavy sigh to end the conversation. He looked around the dreary hospital room warily. Maybe he should call Magnus and vent to him instead of his unconscious brother.

He almost laughed out loud when he caught sight of two people frozen at the door. Of course they would be standing outside. Of course they would be able to hear through the thin hospital glass doors during the conversation he'd always wanted to have with them but never did.

The Lightwood parents stood in shock outside Room 009.

 ***whispers* my posting schedule is going to be all over the place this summer. Sorry in advance. BUT STICK WITH ME, I KNOW IT SEEMS LIKE BAD THING AFTER BAD THING KEEPS HAPPENING BUT IT WILL END HAPPILY (and soon) I PROMISE! Anyway, tell me your thoughts about the chapter, I love getting feedback and constructive criticism, so keep it coming; it might even make me post sooner ;) BAII**


	14. Chapter 14

**Back again, with a short but important (plot-wise) update. Hope whoever reads this likes it because it's confession time! Enjoy :)**

He wasn't making this about him. Not while his little brother lay unconscious in a bed just in front of them. Alec stared at his parents, who had since walked into the room to stand across from him, in front of the bed. They looked like they were mentally debating whether they should shout at their eldest son in front of their injured youngest one or not. They shared a look and Robert spoke quietly.

"Alexander. We're going home right now to discuss your behaviour lately. Izzy and Jace will stay with Max. Let's go. Now." And with that, they left the room. As he got up to follow, he thought about the fact that he would be doing this alone, that there was no one this time to have his back.

He felt ready.

Alec knew that a lot had changed in the past few months. He had gone on his first date, had his first kiss, had (kind of) come out to his parents, had completely strayed from his set path and applied to colleges of his choice. And he felt happy. It was like his whole life he had been stumbling blindly down a path that was crumbling beneath him, but now he could see a clear passage through the dark. And he owed it all to those who loved him unconditionally. Izzy. Jace. Max. _Magnus._

Alec didn't feel tired, or miserable, or ashamed anymore. He could do this. He didn't care what his parents thought anymore. It was time to abandon his closet of secrets and let them all out.

The car ride was silent and tense, Alec could almost feel his parent's anger like a thick fog in the air. When they finally got home, more silence followed into the house. They led the way to the house's study, two walls of books and a desk on the farthest wall. Robert took a seat in the chair behind the desk while Maryse looked out the window, arms crossed. Alec took a seat in front of his father.

Robert was scowling silently, Alec sat there for a few awkward moment fidgeting, then Maryse turned towards her son and spoke up.

"What has gotten into you, Alexander?" he blinked at her sad face and voiced his thoughts confusedly.

"What do you mean?"

His father scoffed. "You know exactly what we mean. We should have had this discussion much earlier, after the incident with that _boy_ -"

Alec reminded himself to have patience and not lose his head with his narrow-minded parents. He could defend himself calmly and collectedly. He needed to make them understand.

"-so here we go. I don't know what this whole rebellious teenager thing is, and what has caused you to be like this, but I want it to stop. We want it to stop. We don't want to lose you like we almost lost Max! We raised you to be-"

"You raised me to be your identical copy. To graduate high school and get the same scholarship at the same college. To be successful and find a _wife_ and have kids that look like Lightwoods that'll make you proud grandparents, and that'll one day achieve all the same. But _I_ don't want that.

"Alexander-"

"No, Dad. You aren't losing me; you're seeing me." He took a deep breath to calm himself down before continuing. "You guys have barely been around, for anything, and I know you're trying to provide for us and you love your jobs, but all you know about us is what you care to know about. Whether we get good grades or are excelling in everything we do. And it's tiring. I don't want to watch Izzy and Jace and Max miss out on opportunities like I have while trying to please you. And I'm done doing it myself."

He looked between the two adults in front of him, analyzing their expressions. His father looked outraged, ready to break a nose or run a marathon, and his mother still held a sad expression, eyes on her feet. Robert was the first to do anything.

"Alec-we-I can't believe-! You're-" He stammered angrily, getting up from his chair to pace the room. Alec had never seen him so flustered. After more incoherent babbling he looked at his wife for a second, then storming out of the room. Alec took a deep, uneasy breath as he turned to his mother.

Her eyes turned up to him slowly and held his gaze, processing her own thoughts in her head before speaking. "Alec, I…We'll try harder from now on." She said. He felt his eyes widen and mouth slightly agape as he kept staring at her, expecting her to say something else that would make her sound more like his father. She continued.

"I don't understand this," she gestured at him. "Not at all. But I think I'd like to give you and the others a chance to explain what you individually want, to help me understand more about you, and I'll try to listen...like a mother ought to…"

Alec didn't know what to say, was torn between wanting to question her to the ground and hugging her like he never had. In the end, they just stared at each other, Maryse shifting on her feet until she felt she should leave.

"I'll talk to your father." She said, closing the office door behind her. Once she had left, Alec felt a smile spread over his face. He hadn't been kicked out, hadn't been disowned…by his mother, at least. She was giving him the chance he always wanted from them, the chance to show them he wasn't so different. And hey, maybe his father would come around one day, once he saw how accepting the rest of the family was being. It was a slim chance, and his future was more confusing now more than ever, but he felt like he had won something. He had. The potential understanding from half of his parents.

Maybe he could revel in the good news before he went back to the hospital.

He got up from the chair and took out his phone, going to his contact list and scrolling through. After stepping out of his house he saw that both his parents had left after their talk, the car's usual parking space empty outside. They had probably gone to see Max.

He should be there too, but he looked back on the week gone by; the grey, weighing sadness that had been felt since the accident, and longed to see whatever light was left for him to enjoy. He hailed a cab while his phone dialed. It was picked up on the second ring, a yellow New York taxi stopping in front of him simultaneously.

"Magnus. Can I come over?"

 **This was way shorter than I thought it would be...but I think I got the importance across. I'm open to constructive criticism if you thought it could have been better. I hope you liked it, though...See you next week!**


End file.
